Drivers are increasingly complaining about the intense LED headlight glare that comes from newer vehicles, but the issue is not as clear as one might think.
The U.S. is taking baby steps toward smart headlight systems that adjust their beams based on what is in their path and look less harsh to oncoming drivers, but they still could be years away from hitting the roads.
Why Are Headlights So Bright These Days?
Some experts say several factors are contributing to drivers reporting glare. One is that LED lights are not brighter, but the blueish-white light emitted is more irritating to the human eye. The others relate to the position of the headlights, the height of newer vehicles and older drivers.
AAA has published numerous studies about headlights and related issues such as glare and did not find a problem, according to Greg Brannon, director of automotive engineering and industry relations for AAA Inc. “LEDs put more light on roads where people need it,” he said. “There is no evidence that LED lights are a hazard.”
Drivers Disagree
Still, drivers are reporting discomfort and being blinded by oncoming cars with LED headlights and some are calling for them to be banned.
“There is a problem,” acknowledged Dr. John Bullough, director of the Light and Health Research Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. “There are some issues (with headlights) people are experiencing more than they did 10-to-20 years ago, and they are making more people complain. But the basic regulations for headlights and how they produce light in certain directions have been the same for several decades. Technology has changed.”
Buying a New Car
Tips and tricks to get you through every step of buying a new car, whatever “new” means to you.
Download Now!Over the past 10 years, automakers transitioned to LEDs and high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights from halogen headlights, which produce soft yellow light, which is easier on the eyes. On the plus side, LED bulbs last longer and an LED array has many small bulbs, which can be shifted in different directions to shape the beam. The white light also makes it easier to spot road markings and more closely resembles daylight.
But there are drawbacks. “They tend to make glare more noticeable and uncomfortable,” according to Bullough.
Calls to Regulate LED Headlights
Groups such as the Soft Lights Foundation argue that the use of LED and HID headlights “has become a source of dangerous, blinding glare,” and has an online petition asking Congress and federal agencies to regulate LEDs. More than 50,000 people have signed the petition so far.
Other factors are contributing to people experiencing headlight glare, according to Bullough. Many vehicles are higher now, so lights on SUVs and trucks shine directly into the eyes of sedan drivers, he said. “Passenger cars get a brighter splash of light.”
Also, headlights are often misaligned, and drivers don’t realize it. “Consistently, over a few decades, a lot of cars have poorly misdirected headlights,” said Bullough. “If they are too high, the beam hits (oncoming drivers) in the eyes. If they are too low, drivers can’t see much past their car.” Not all states require headlight alignment to be assessed, he added.
The aging of the U.S. population also plays a role, Brannon maintained. There were almost 48 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older in 2020, according to the latest research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is a 68% increase over 20 years ago. “New technology looks different coming toward older drivers, when they are used to seeing a soft yellow glow,” he said. “The LED and HID lights draw drivers’ attention, and then they have a problem with a glare.”
People’s ability to see in the dark decreases every year after age 40, Brannon added, and drivers are less able to recover from glare. To cope with glare, Brannon recommended drivers modify their gaze and look at the road, not the oncoming headlights.
Smarter Headlights Are on the Way
If anything, headlights on U.S. cars should be brighter, Brannon said. The U.S. has a much lower maximum output for high beams than most countries and standards have not changed in decades. AAA research shows that 64% of American drivers do not extensively use their high beams, often out of concern for other drivers. But driving with low beams all the time can be a safety hazard. “If you are driving with low beams over 35 mph and encounter something in the road, you can’t stop in time,” according to Bullough.
Changes are coming, although slowly. More new cars in the U.S. have automatic high/low beam switching systems, which allow drivers to use their high beams all the time, because the headlights switch to low beams if they detect an oncoming vehicle.
Even more advanced technology is available, but not in the U.S., and although high-tech headlights have been approved here, it still could be years before drivers actually see them. Since 2013, Europe and most of the world have been using adaptive driving beam (ADB) headlights, which produce more light and automatically change the direction of the beam to reduce glare for oncoming drivers or pedestrians while not losing forward illumination.
Despite urging from multiple organizations, including AAA, the type of ADBs used by most of the world have not been approved for use in the U.S.
Crafting New ADBs
In 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) approved ADB headlighting systems similar to what is used in other countries, but with different criteria for performance, according to Bullough.
The U.S. Department of Transportation drew up glare-proof specifications for ADB headlights, but more testing and information are required. Vehicle manufacturers are waiting for detailed specifications before starting to build and install these systems, to avoid misinterpretations and recalls, according to Bullough.
Because these headlights will be brighter, the changes also will require some adjustments by drivers, but the headlights are overdue, said Brannon. “Modern headlight systems put light where you need it,” he said. “Over time, people will become more accustomed to it.”
Need headlight maintenance? Visit your nearest AAA Approved Auto Repair Facility. Members can save up to $75 per visit – that pays for your membership! Search for AAR facilities.
How do you feel about headlight glare? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Related Articles
Trending Articles
NEWEST ARTICLES
218 Thoughts on “What’s the Story With Headlight Glare?”
Leave A Comment
Comments are subject to moderation and may or may not be published at the editor’s discretion. Only comments that are relevant to the article and add value to the Your AAA community will be considered. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.
So what is the solution in the meantime? Those yellow tinted glasses don’t seem to work that well for people with eyesight issues ( who aren’t necessarily elderly).
A TIP TO HELP WITH THIS PROBLEM : To GREATLY reduce blinding thru your mirrors, adjust your OUTSIDE mirrors slightly down and slightly out. Then, as you go to look back with your mirrors, tip your head slightly forward and down ( lean forward slightly, if necessary). Experiment with the adjustment until you find what works best for you. For your INSIDE mirror, tip the right side of it down a little, and angle it slightly to the right. This gives you a view out the back of the right side of your car, which is helpful on multi-lane roads. To look straight back with the inside mirror, tip your head slightly to the right. (Another tip : if, on multi-lane roads, you have a lot of cars coming up on your right side, YOU SHOULD BE OVER TO THE RIGHT SO THOSE CARS CAN PASS ON THE LEFT, LIKE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO. KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS.) If you want the roads to be safe, then participate & cooperate in making them safe.
The headlights are blinding. You have to shield your eyes or take eyes off the road for a few seconds, which is dangerous.
I’m only in my 30s and I find the lights incredibly blinding. So the age excuse is mildly irritating to say the least. And as for the idea of having lights brighter but angled differently, it’s not a solution that takes into account hills, bumps and bends in roads. I’ve experienced driving while in front of or passing a car with bright leds that seem to be angled down toward the road and one moment it’ll seem fine, the next they go over a little bump and im being blinded or wondering if they’re flashing their highbeems at me.
Headlights absolutely do not need to be brighter and they are 100% a safety hazard. The baseless excuses expressed in this article have nothing to do with fact and very clearly only serve to push the agenda of whoever it is that’s profiting off this.
It is not only oncoming drivers, the glare from behind makes it hard to see out of your own windshield.
The industry gaslighting article is insane.
“To cope with glare, Brannon recommended drivers modify their gaze and look at the road, not the oncoming headlights.”
Genuinely offensive.
I have never understood why headlights have not been redesigned so as to have bright lights positioned at a downward angle so as to illuminate the road before you, and have more moderate intensity lights positioned horizontally so as to illuminate what’s ahead. Only by switching to high beams can I see both. On low beams, I don’t see potholes or road issues. I think redirection and proper positioning is the answer.
Headlights are blinding! I first began noticing this in 2011-2012, while I was in my very early 40’s. It has gotten worse. I do wear very dark sunglasses at night when I drive, which is somewhat dangerous , and still does not alleviate the blinding headlights. I put my hand up to try to block the oncoming light, or to shield my side view mirror from the car behind. These blinding lights make driving almost impossible. It is not a high beam issue, it’s just the regular headlight. I’m not sure that it’s an SUV driven cause either. I drive an SUV and still deal with blinding headlights from front and back.
I go to 2 different eye doctors every year now, been doing this for 4 years, and they all tell me that there is nothing wrong with my eyes. And that some people are just sensitive to light. Now that I have read thus article and the same concerns from so many others, I realize that it’s not me, It’s the car headlights!
I live in RI and can’t get dark window tint due to regulation. Perhaps that would help.
Someone needs to do something about this now, not in 10 years, maybe.
I often have to cover my eyes here in the boroughs just so I can see where I need to go. I can understand the bright lights in places where there are no street lights but in the city boroughs, it is a hazard for traffic facing the lights.
There is a law in New York State about the brightness of head light. Why is this law not being enforced?
It’s not just seniors having issues with these blinding lights. I’m not even 40 yet, and there’s barely a night time drive where I don’t have these lights shining into all my mirrors by a tailgater, or coming at me from the other direction. It’s distracting and painful, not to mention dangerous.
I was taught to look at the white line of someone leaves their beams on by accident, but on some roads the paint is worn off.
Something definitely needs to change.
The headlight glare is awful and I really do not like driving at night because of this. Don’t tell me to look elsewhere as I have been blinded and can’t see the road. I saw a post that says something like: now that you can see 92 miles ahead of you, the rest of us are blinded. These lights are too bright, but in my car it’s not just oncoming traffic, but I get the glare in my rear view and side view mirrors, even if I readjust them they still pick it up. So….blinded front and rear, makes driving really entertaining. I also have friends and relatives who have complained about the same thing, we range from age groups 33 years old through to 70 years old.
I try not to drive at night anymore due to the blinding light from the LED headlights. I went to the eye doctor to see if I could get night driving glasses to improve my night vision. I told him that I get so upset that I flash my high beams at the oncoming cars trying to get them to shut off their high beams. The doctor explained there is no such thing as night driving glasses to combat these headlights. He said he also has trouble with the glare of the LED headlights and he also mentioned that the new city streetpole lights along the road are not as bright as they used to be since they also switched to LED lighting to save money. These lights now only shine directly on the area beneath them and do not project lighting onto the street. I would hope the Federal Highway Department would investigate this problem due to an increase in accidents from these lights.
I have given up night time driving and the blinding glare of these new headlights is the reason. Those who say these headlights are not a hazard are clueless or aren’t senior drivers who are the ones most affected by these headlights.
Glare is not correct,BLINDING is the term I wood use. If you have a lower car as I do, there are times where my entire interior is lit up like daytime! Now of course if you are driving with those headlights it’s great because you can see better but if they were all made a little dimmer and universally the same brightness I think that might help.
Solar powered lighting over roadways..
Don’t overdrive your lamps…off your throttles…Don’t let
Setting your clocks five minutes fast …pickup truck
Behind me at red light..needed to adjust both doors
outside mirrors plus rear view interior.. trafficked light changes , readjust.. stop go stop go , reset lather rinse
Repeat !
Us
I struggle driving at night also because of the bright headlights of oncoming cars. I bought the yellow lens glasses for driving at night and I don’t find them very helpful at all. They actually make my surroundings a bit darker unfortunately so I would love to see changes happen with the type of bulbs used in many vehicles on the roads today.
For drivers, especially with ages north of 65 years, there is little hope near term for resolution of night light vehicle blindness save one.
Major lawsuits won by drivers for pain, suffering and loss of life due to these blinding beams would alleviate and hopefully correct this harmful universal defect.
And no, I am not a lawyer just a normal car driver trying to reshape this regrettable situation.
“Over time, people will become more accustomed to it.”??? Blinding light is not something that one can become safely “accustomed” to. At night, I can easily tell which oncoming vehicles use the BLINDING headlights and which use the mellower, safer, more yellowish headlights. They are much worse than being confronted by an oncoming vehicle with ordinary Bright Lights beamed into one’s eyes. Calling the blinding headlights “glare” is misleading. It is like getting a spotlight beamed directly into one’s eyes. We’ve all heard stage performers say they can’t see the audience because of the spotlights. The blinding headlights have the same effect. Look at the road instead of the lights? Impossible. When they blind you, you can’t see the road or anything else. AAA should not be making excuses for these hazards. There is a reason so many drivers are complaining. Listen to them.
This is the best response.
The NHTSA is so far behind other countries in mandating automatic headlight safety systems its quite embarrassing. For example automatic self leveling headlights have been standard equipment on cars in many places around the world since the 90’s. When the same car models arrive in the USA those headlight functions are disabled or uninstalled from factory. Unfortunately even our State inspections don’t check headlight levels, all they check is if they turn on or not. If we can mandate backup cameras and traction control why not self leveling? The NHTSA has some of the most archaic rules for car Headlights and Taillights, some of those rules date back to the 60’s, it mind boggling.
The new headlights are definitely blinding to drivers, especially on winding, hilly roads in Staten Island, NY. They might be needed out in the country, but on roads that are well lit by streetlights. They are not needed. I am older, but still drive, a small SUV. I don’t have trouble with large SUVs or Trucks coming towards me as long as they don’t have those overly bight lights. I think they should be outlawed in NYC.